Engine-starter.



W HARLEY.

EMHNL a APPLHA'NUN HLED AM I 1953 Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

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WILLIAM S. HARLEY, F IvIZLWAUK'EE, VIISCONSIN, ASSIGNGB TO HARLEY-DAVIDSON MGTOR $0., 53}? MILVAU'KEE, 'WZSCONSIH.

EN GINE-STABTER.

Application filed July '2, 1913.

T all whomz't may concern.-

Be it known that'l, Vl' ILLIAM S. HARLEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Startcrs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, economical and effective starter for internal combustion engines, the same being particularly designed to economize in the application of power for effecting a starting movement.

The construction and arrangement of my invention is such that a valve-controlled vent of the engine cylinder is first opened, whereby compression is eliminated and thereafter the engine-shaft is given a predetermined number of initial revolutions prior to an automatic closing movement of the valve to efi'ccta starting operation. Thus momentum is obtained in the initial free rotation of the engine-shaft and thereafter the valve mechanism is tripped whereby a compressed charge is fired.

With the above objects in View the invention consists in various structural features and combination of mechanical elements to be hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the. drawings Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic partly sectional elevation of a st fling mechanism embodying the features clmy invention shown in connection with an engine; F 2, a detailed cross-section of engine sliaft clutch mechanism utilized as one element in carrying out my invention, and Figs. and e, detailed sectional views of the same, the sections being indicated by lines 3 and -i--et respectively of Fig. 2.

Referring by characters to the drawings,

1 represents a cylinder of a standard type of internal combustion engine, 2 the piston, and the engine crank-shaft. Which is con nccted to said piston in the usual manner. The cylinder is provided with an intake valve i and an exhaust valve 4 which controls the vent aperture, the said valve being held to its seat bya spring 5 which is interposed. between a sleeve extending from the cylinder and a collar 5' that is secured to the valve-steam. One arm of a. bell-crank Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Serial Ho. 772.704.

lever 6 is adapted to engage the collar and liftthe valve, whereby the vent aperture is opened, the said bell-crank lever being fulcrumed to the engine casing. This bellcrank lever is connected to a second bellcrank lever '1' by a rod 8 or other connection, as shown, the second bell-crank lever being fulcrumed to a bracket that is suitably secured to the dashboard 9 or other fixed portion of a vehicle body accessible to the operator. One arm of the bell-crank lever 7 is provided with a handle whereby said lever may be manually shifted, said arm being extended through a slot in the dashboard. The short arm 7 of the hand-controlled bellcrank lever is forked at its end and arranged to straddle a cord 10 or other connection, which cord passes over a guide-sheavell and is wound about a clutch-drum 12-, the end of the cord being secured thereto. The

opposite end of this cord or connection extends through an aperture in the dashboard 9 and terminates with a hand-grip 10', whereby the said cord may be manipulated by the operator; This cord carries an adjustable tappet 13, the tappet, in this instance, comprising a collar that is secured to the cord by means of aset-screw and also comprises a coiled buifer spring which is interposed between the collar and a washer 13 that is slidable upon the cord. By this connection the washer 13 of the tappet is adapted to engage the short arm 7' of the lever 7, whereby the latter is actuated in one direction and the buffer spring permits yield to prevent sudden shock incidental to pulling of the cord by the operator. The clutchpulley 12 is loosely mounted upon the, em glue-shaft 3 and forms no part of my invention, its construction being clearly shown and described in an application filed by me March 11, 1913, Serial No. 753488, for im provemonts in transmission gearing. The clutch-pulley carries a series of dogs 14 that are adapted to engage a ratchet-wheel 15, which ratchet-wheel is secured to the engine shaft, the dogs being provided with tails that engage the side faces of the ratchetwheel, whereby they are thrown out of engagement with the same co-incidentto power being applied to the shaft through the enginc. The clutch-drum also has secured thereto one end of a. coiled spring 16, while the opposite end of said spring is fast to a cross-beam 17 that constitutes part of the or vehicle to ator first manipulates the bell-crank lever 7,

whereby it assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Thereafter the cord 10 or other connecting element to the drum is drawn forward in the direction indicated by the arrow and this movement imparts rotation to the clutch-drum 12, which, in turn, causes the engineshaft to rotate a predetermined number of revolutions in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. -1 and 3. The 'tappet 13 will thus engage the short arm of the lever 7, while there is approximately one winding of said cord upon the clutch-drum, andhence at this moment of engagement the vent valve will be tripped by the bell-crank lever mechanism and the final rotation imparted to'the engine crankshaft will be sufiicient to explode a charge of gas introduced into the firing head of the engine, the exhaust valve of which at this time is shut. It is understood the final rotation. imparted to the engine shaftthrough the cable causes the tappet 13 to travel past the short arm 7 of the lever, and upon the return of the cable, due to the clutch drum winding spring, there is suflioient slack in said cable to permit the tappet to pass under the aforesaid lever arm without tripping the same from its now locked position. Hence it will be seen that, owing to the In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a piston therefor, a crank shaft connected to the piston, a clutch drum carried by the crank shaft, a vent for the cylinder, and a valve for said vent; the combination of a starting mechanism comprising manually operated actuating means for the vent valve, locking means for the vent valve actuating means, whereby said .valve is held open, a manually operated actuating means connected to the clutch drum, whereby the latter is rotated in one direction, and a tappet carried by the clutch drum means engagcable with the vent valve 1ock-. ing means, whereby said valve locking means actuating is released to eil'ect closure of'the ventvalve after the clutch drum has been rotated a predetermined extent.

In testimony that I claim' the foregoing I I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

EDWIN F. CASPER, E. J. MUELLER. 

